Catch Me
by bjaarcy
Summary: What happened to Shane and Reed after they kissed? CP Coulter's Dalton!fic, Ranebows, spoilers to Episode 27, songfic to Demi Lovato's song of the same name, and rated because I swear in the A/N plus I'm paranoid xD


I'm writing this because I am at the point where if someone _mentions_ Episode 28 of Dalton I might end in a fit of tears. (Seriously though, you _can't just end shit when something explodes._ Un-fucking-fair man.) Anyway, I decided to write myself a bit of fluff to keep my mind off the fact that tons of awesome shit happened but then it was ruined by stupid Adam.

Soooo, this is a Reed-centric!Ranefic, because now that they're together I am going to have _so much _fun writing fic about them! :'''D Also, it takes place during Ep 27, because we'd all love to know what happened after they kissed and how Reed ended up sleeping on Shane's shoulder. Or, at least, I would. I hope you enjoy it – and hopefully share the same views I am having of Dalton right now x) Mostly the former though!

Disclaimer: The fact that I am _ranting_ about Ep 28 should pretty much show that I don't own Dalton/I am not CP. I'd love to own gLee, but – alas – that's not mine either x3

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><p>When Reed kisses Shane, it's nothing and everything.<p>

Nothing because the way Reed feels is what he's pretty sure is the feeling trapeze artists get when they're performing. It's an empty, floating-like feeling you'd get when you're suspended mid-air, only a godforsaken rope holding you up and goodness knows if you're going to fall and crash. It's terrifying and freeing at the same time.

And that's when kissing Shane becomes everything.

Because Reed knows that Shane's the rope holding him up mid-air. He knows that Shane isn't going to let him fall and crash, that Shane's something he can hold onto if he feels like he's slipping. And once he knows that, Reed realizes that there's no need to turn back – he realizes that this isn't a mistake. He realizes that kissing Shane is okay – is _right_ – and that alone gives him just enough courage to let go.

So Reed lets go, and he keeps falling and falling, pressing just a little bit closer to Shane as he does. In the back of his mind – the part that's still gripping reality – he can feel Shane's hand gripping his softly.

And that's it, the kiss is over and Reed's staring into Shane's perfect eyes. He isn't crashing and burning like he was always afraid of doing. Shane caught him, and now Reed feels like his heart just might flutter out of his chest because everything feels _right_ for once.

They simply stare and blink at each other for what feels like an eternity, their faces so close to each other that if either so much as flinch their lips would brush.

Shane breaks the silence first.

"Are-are you okay?" he stammers. He's looking at Reed nervously, like he's afraid that Reed might run away and hide.

Reed knows that the possibility of that happening now is nonexistent. _No more hiding,_ he tells himself internally. He's taken the greatest leap and he made it out alive and in tact. Things are going to be okay, they're gonna work out. And if they hit a snag, he has Shane to guide him through it.

The strawberry blonde shakes his head slowly as he thinks about all this, gulping embarrassingly loud.

"I-I'm okay," he confirms, blushing when his voice comes out high and squeaky.

And that's when Shane begins to smile. He's smiling so wide that it completely takes over his face, his lower jaw dropping a little. The goofy grin is so ridiculously infectious that Reed cracks a grin too, chuckling a little bit at how, yes, this is actually real.

As he's chuckling, Shane suddenly lets go of his hand and the next thing Reed knows is that everything surrounding him is Shane Anderson. The dancer's arms are engulfing Reed in a warm bear hug. Reed blinks for a split second, and then wraps his arms around Shane as well. The act just makes the brunette press closer, squeezing gently and Reed's blushing a little more because he's pretty sure that Shane can feel his pounding heart against his chest.

When they finally separate, their arms are still around each other, and Shane says, "You're actually here and we totally just kissed right? Because I'd be _really_ sad if I suddenly woke up only to realize this was all some awesome dream and – I'm rambling aren't I? You're here and I'm rambling and – you know what? I'm shutting up, right now." And he does shut up, with a nod, pulling his arms back.

Reed begins to giggle to himself, his hands flying up to cover his mouth because he knows laughing is really the last thing Shane needs. Still, the boy in front of him is making an adorable face, and that makes Reed _really_ want to kiss him. So he does, dropping his hands into his lap, leaning in quickly and giving a quick peck to Shane's cheek. When he pulls back, Shane's hazel eyes are wide and he has a surprised smile on his face. Reed's sure he hears the brunette whisper a soft and incredulous, "Huh."

"I'm here," the shorter boy says then. "And, yeah, we kinda… just… kissed…" he continues, his voice growing softer with every word. He's glancing away by the end of it, just hoping that his face isn't as bright as his hair because he already knows that he's blushing again.

"Awesome," Shane breathes, and Reed's laughing again, because it's just such a _Shane_ thing to say. "Hey, look at me, please?" the dancer asks.

Reed simply gulps, because all of a sudden he can feel one of Shane's hands cupping his cheek and that sets off a tug in his stomach to listen to the request. After a second too long thinking about it, he faces the dancer in front of him.

"This is real, isn't it?" he asks. The artist simply nods, his head bobbing up and down shakily. "It's real and you're here and – wow. I'm really happy," the brunette confesses, brushing a stray curl away from Reed's face.

"Me too," Reed agrees as Shane retracts his hand.

There's a change in the atmosphere then. Something heavy hangs in the air, but it's nothing Reed's afraid of. A million possibilities fill the room now, and they're possibilities of things growing into something more, possibilities that someone could maybe get hurt, and possibilities that there will be kisses and make ups. Maybe before – before his talk with Micah, and before keeping himself up at night thinking about Shane, and before countless talks with Kurt about his relationship with the younger Anderson – Reed would have been absolutely terrified. Terrified and probably nauseous about everything. But it's not before anymore, and the strawberry blonde artist feels comfortable for once. He knows that he loves Shane, he knows (thanks to Micah) that Shane loves him back, and he knows that things aren't so frightening anymore. He's ready to take that chance, and that Shane's hand is out there to take it with him.

And then the perfect atmosphere is completely ruined by him yawning.

Shane laughs at him, and Reed completely flushes, a quiet "hmph" escaping his lips before he starts to yawn again.

Apparently, falling in love takes a lot of energy.

"Need a nap, Reed?" Shane asks, sounding genuinely concerned. Reed nods, rubbing his tired eyes with his fists. "You can sleep here, you know. I don't think Blaine would mind." Reed nods again, laying down on his side as he rests his head against the armrest. Shane picks up Blaine's guitar again and asks, "Is it okay if I play? I promise I'll be quiet."

The smaller boy bites his lip for a moment before replying, "Only if you'll sing to me."

He can see and hear Shane gulping. The younger Anderson quietly says, "Okay. What do you want to hear?"

"Do you know a song called 'Catch Me'?" Reed asks.

"By Demi Lovato, right?" Reed nods. "Okay."

Reed completely relaxes into the couch then, and Shane's playing around with the guitar to get the chords right. He chuckles very softly to himself when he hears the boy next to him strumming the wrong notes, occasionally muttering, "No, that's not it…" He eventually finds the right ones though, and Reed's still smiling when Shane's comforting voice begins to sing.

_**Before I fall too fast**_

_**kiss me quick, but make it last**_

_**So I can see how badly this will hurt me**_

_**when you say goodbye**_

_**Keep it sweet, keep it slow**_

_**Let the future pass and don't let go**_

_**But tonight I could fall too soon**_

_**to this beautiful moonlight**_

_**But you're so hypnotizing**_

_**You got me laughing while I sing**_

_**You got me smiling in my sleep**_

_**And I can see this unraveling**_

_**Your love is where I'm falling**_

_**so please don't catch me**_

Shane glances at him from time to time, an apologetic smile that says, "I'm sorry I suck so much," playing on his lips occasionally. Reed wants to speak up and say that Shane isn't really that bad, even if he stumbles sometimes with the guitar. But he knows better than to interrupt the boy serenading him, so he keeps quiet and smiles back reassuringly.

_**See this heart won't settle down**_

_**like a child running scared from a clown**_

_**I'm terrified of what you'll do**_

_**My stomach screams just when I look at you**_

_**Run far away, so I can breathe**_

_**even though you're far from suffocating me**_

_**I can't set my hopes too high 'cuz**_

_**every hello ends with a goodbye**_

The dark haired curly head suddenly stops playing then, and puts away the guitar, and Reed is completely confused. Shane didn't even mess up once when he sang that verse – why is he stopping?

"This is embarrassing to say," Shane says then, cutting Reed off before he can ask why he stopped playing, "but do you mind if you fall asleep leaning against my shoulder? I won't play the guitar so it's not in your way or anything. And I'll keep singing. It's just – unfair. I'm actually jealous that the couch gets to feel you sleep against it instead of me." And at that Shane turns bright, bright red. "Oh wow, that is completely… wow. You know what, it's okay, you don't have to get up. That's stupid. You'll be uncomfortable and –" he says, beginning to babble about complete nonsense.

Reed just sits up and says, "Okay," before proceeding to lean against Shane's shoulder. He's too tired to argue with the taller boy's protests. Besides, Shane's shoulder looks much more appealing and inviting to Reed than Blaine's couch.

Eventually, Shane gets the idea and relaxes a little, moving back into the seat so Reed's more comfortable. After a sigh, the strawberry blonde closes his eyes and whispers, "Sing, please?" to which the other curly haired boy replies, "Okay," and begins to pick up right where he left off.

At some point, Reed notices that his and Shane's hand entwine themselves, and he decides that he really likes how it caused the pleasant flip flops in his stomach. Shane continues to sing, his voice low and soft and Reed nuzzles his head against Shane's shoulder. Eventually, he gets to the end of the song.

_**But you're so hypnotizing**_

_**You got me laughing while I sing**_

_**You got me smiling in my sleep**_

_**And I can see this unraveling**_

_**Your love is where I'm falling**_

_**so please don't catch me**_

_**If this is love please don't break it**_

_**I'm giving up so just catch me**_

Reed's proud of himself when he stays awake until the song ends. By the time Shane quietly sings the last words, Reed blacks out, an unconscious smile gracing his face.

**.oOo.**

Shane doesn't really know how long Reed's been asleep for. It could have been hours, it could have been a few minutes. All he knows is that Reed is sleeping against his shoulder, relaxed and breathing softly, while their hands are joined with tangled fingers. Shane still can't really believe that this is all real, but accepts it nonetheless, happy to receive what he's getting.

He glances at Blaine's guitar where he put it away, wondering why Reed asked him to sing that particular song. He figures that he'll ask once the artist wakes up.

Which could be soon considering he's hearing chattering in the hallways now, meaning that Hell Night is very, very close and that the Windsor boys have to go to their dorms and get themselves ready.

He sees Blaine enter the room and watches as his brother's eyes observe him, and Reed's sleeping form against him.

He smiles and nods his head.

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><p>And there you go! For the record, I chose the song because I think it explains how Reed feels perfectly. I just made Shane sing it because I have yet to see a Shane <em>solo<em> and I really want one, so yeah xD Also, while I'm at it, I am not Demi Lovato and therefore do not own this song!

Please review with, well, anything! Thoughts about this, rants about the episodes that just came out, whatever. I just like reviews :3

x o x o bjaarcy

PS For any of you who follow my story "the First Week", have no fear! I'm still writing it – I just needed to get this out :]


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